A religious nonprofit has applied for permission before the Brick Township Board of Adjustment to operate in a vacant office building on Brick Boulevard.
Religious houses of worship are not allowed in the B2 zone, where True Colors Ministry International is looking to open a counseling and assembly center at 74-80 Brick Boulevard, just north of Molly Lane on the southbound side of the roadway.
According to plans filed before board, the organization is seeking a use variance to allow for a 2,900 square foot area to be utilized for their purposes. There are no physical changes proposed to the exterior of the building or any of its outside improvements.
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A use variance requires that the applicant meet certain criteria and receives a supermajority favorable vote by board members. A previous board denied an application for a church to operate in a storefront further north in Brick Boulevard due to a lack of parking and complaints from some neighboring residents, leading to years of federal litigation that eventually resulted in Brick allowing the church to operate and paying its legal expenses.
A hearing on the application will be held at the board’s Aug. 21 meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at the township municipal complex.